EverNoob
Prince
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2006
- Messages
- 571
[SIZE=+1]
THIS IS AN OLD VERSION OF THE GUIDE. For the new one go here.
This is an update of my 0.34 version of the guide.
Note: this guide is in the process of being rewritten!
Table of Contents
Overview
The Tolerant Trait
Unique features on the map
Starting Strategies
Leader Specific Strategy
Elohim Guide 0.40
[/SIZE]THIS IS AN OLD VERSION OF THE GUIDE. For the new one go here.
This is an update of my 0.34 version of the guide.
Note: this guide is in the process of being rewritten!
Table of Contents
Overview
The Tolerant Trait
Starting Strategies
Leader Specific Strategies
Corlindale
Early Monks
Other Specific Strategies
The Tolerant Trait
Starting Strategies
Leader Specific Strategies
Corlindale
Early Monks
Other Specific Strategies
Overview
The Elohim are a good-aligned human civ. Their defining traits are Tolerant and Defender. By default they can build all standard units in the game, except the Assassin which is replaced by the Devout. All their unique units, buildings and abilties are acquired along the divine tech path.
The Elohim are particularly strong against undead and demon units, and have a unique ritual to lower the AC as well.
Though the Elohim are quite capable in war, they do suffer from extra war weariness. The Elohim palace gives a +20% war weariness penalty. However there are ways to remedy this.
The Elohim are particularly strong against undead and demon units, and have a unique ritual to lower the AC as well.
Though the Elohim are quite capable in war, they do suffer from extra war weariness. The Elohim palace gives a +20% war weariness penalty. However there are ways to remedy this.
The Tolerant Trait
The Elohim are the only civ with the Tolerant trait. When you acquire another civ's city either by conquest or culture flip, it retains the ability to build units and buildings of the original owner. While it doesn't make the Elohim warmongers per se, it makes the spoils of war extremely rewarding.
This is the only way for the Elohim to get Assassins.
The downside is that acquired cities can't build Elohim units or buildings. Which can be a disadvantage in certain cases.
You can't build another civ's heroes.
You can build another civ's palace, however you lose your original palace doing so since you can only have 1 palace at a time.
Tolerant is a potentially powerful trait and makes every game unique, as it depends on what civs you end up acquiring cities from. The ability to build other palaces is a huge benefit. It gives you access to other types of mana and certain civ wide palace effects (ie: Lanun +1
in water tiles). It also makes the Tower victory easier.
Some players claim that Tolerant invites the Elohim to be warmongers. I say it makes them very good rulers. When playing at high difficulty, the AI will declare war on you anyway. And even if your objective is a peaceful victory, some conquest is necessary to have a respectably sized empire at higher difficulties.
This is the only way for the Elohim to get Assassins.
The downside is that acquired cities can't build Elohim units or buildings. Which can be a disadvantage in certain cases.
You can't build another civ's heroes.
You can build another civ's palace, however you lose your original palace doing so since you can only have 1 palace at a time.
Tolerant is a potentially powerful trait and makes every game unique, as it depends on what civs you end up acquiring cities from. The ability to build other palaces is a huge benefit. It gives you access to other types of mana and certain civ wide palace effects (ie: Lanun +1
in water tiles). It also makes the Tower victory easier.Some players claim that Tolerant invites the Elohim to be warmongers. I say it makes them very good rulers. When playing at high difficulty, the AI will declare war on you anyway. And even if your objective is a peaceful victory, some conquest is necessary to have a respectably sized empire at higher difficulties.
Unique features on the map
At the start of the game, the Elohim know the location of all the unique features on the map. Though the usefulness of this ability is unreliable, it makes a huge difference when you're lucky enough to have certain unique features nearby.
The most useful ones at the beginning of the game is the Remnants of Patria, Yggdrasil, and the Dragon Bones.
The most useful ones at the beginning of the game is the Remnants of Patria, Yggdrasil, and the Dragon Bones.
Spoiler Basic Info :
in all your cities. This prevents the Elohim from being hardcore warmongers.
, +1 
, +1 priest 
, arcane unit, 300
Starting Strategies
First thing to do is switch out of Pacifism since it slows down Warrior production.
The Elohim start with Ancient Chants, which gives them easy access Mysticism or Education.
Mysticism vs Agriculture:
Early game military options:
Monks via Priesthood bulb around turn 100-120 is possible with Einion. Then you can research religion after to get the priests.
Ever since the Hunting
cost increase, Hunters are no longer a good option as a main military unit. Unless you have camping resources and no horse/copper. In such cases you can use Hunters until Priesthood, after which you can upgrade your Hunters to priests.
The cornerstone of Elohim military strategy is high city defense. This allows for more offensive units and gives you more time to respond to attacks. Forts also make good additions but aren't strictly necessary. Wall of Stone is nice if you have Standing Stones or founded RoK, but usually isn't worth building an Earth node for. The highest city defense I've ever gotten is +150%, with Ethne.
The Elohim start with Ancient Chants, which gives them easy access Mysticism or Education.
Mysticism vs Agriculture:
First tech to research is either Mysticism or Agriculture.
Mysticism works best in a forested area. Starting economy is driven by God King (GK) and Elder Council.
Agriculture works best on flatland next to fresh water. Starting economy is driven by tile improvement via Agriculture derivative techs: Calendar, Animal Husbandry, Education.
In general, Agriculture first works better with Ethne because her Creative trait helps grab resources faster. Mysticism first usually works better with Einion Logos because of his Philosophical trait. The big deciding factor is terrain but most of the time Agriculture first is better.
Mysticism works best in a forested area. Starting economy is driven by God King (GK) and Elder Council.
Agriculture works best on flatland next to fresh water. Starting economy is driven by tile improvement via Agriculture derivative techs: Calendar, Animal Husbandry, Education.
In general, Agriculture first works better with Ethne because her Creative trait helps grab resources faster. Mysticism first usually works better with Einion Logos because of his Philosophical trait. The big deciding factor is terrain but most of the time Agriculture first is better.
Early game military options:
- Horsemen + Archer
- Axemen + Catapults
- Pact of Nilhorn
- Monks + Catapults
Monks via Priesthood bulb around turn 100-120 is possible with Einion. Then you can research religion after to get the priests.
Ever since the Hunting
cost increase, Hunters are no longer a good option as a main military unit. Unless you have camping resources and no horse/copper. In such cases you can use Hunters until Priesthood, after which you can upgrade your Hunters to priests.The cornerstone of Elohim military strategy is high city defense. This allows for more offensive units and gives you more time to respond to attacks. Forts also make good additions but aren't strictly necessary. Wall of Stone is nice if you have Standing Stones or founded RoK, but usually isn't worth building an Earth node for. The highest city defense I've ever gotten is +150%, with Ethne.
Leader Specific Strategy
Ethne The White:
Einion Logos:
CorlindaleCreative, Defender
Creative makes early land grabbing alot easier, usually resulting in a larger empire. It allows newly captured cities to get up and running faster, as well as making them easier to defend. All of which makes Ethne more suited to conquest, either by military or cultural means.
Ethne's advantages are mainly in the early game:
Ethne's overall game strategy is fairly fluid and flexible, depending on resources, the situation and who you end up conquering. The Tolerant trait means alot more to Ethne than Einion Logos.
Creative makes early land grabbing alot easier, usually resulting in a larger empire. It allows newly captured cities to get up and running faster, as well as making them easier to defend. All of which makes Ethne more suited to conquest, either by military or cultural means.
Ethne's advantages are mainly in the early game:
- In terms of economy, Creative lets you place cities in optimal locations and access resources more easily.
- In terms of military, more culture means higher city defense and larger borders. Large borders forces opponents to cross more space to get to your cities, which gives you more time to respond to sneak attacks. The Homeland combat bonus also covers a larger area.
Ethne's overall game strategy is fairly fluid and flexible, depending on resources, the situation and who you end up conquering. The Tolerant trait means alot more to Ethne than Einion Logos.
Einion Logos:
Philosophical, Defender
The double production of Elder Councils and Library are all in line with being a good builder. Different GP strats work well. Einion Logos is the leader most suited to the Altar victory.
Einion's overall game strategy is more set compared to Ethne because it relies on Philosophical. You should choose one particular type of GP to focus on:
The double production of Elder Councils and Library are all in line with being a good builder. Different GP strats work well. Einion Logos is the leader most suited to the Altar victory.
Einion's overall game strategy is more set compared to Ethne because it relies on Philosophical. You should choose one particular type of GP to focus on:
- Sages: This hydrid SE/CE is the most intuitive GP strat with Philosophical. Using the production bonus for building Elder Councils and Library to run Sages. Build the Great Library. Use Great Sages to build Academies most of the time. In combination with OO, you can run enough Sages to keep a high
slider and use Gambling Houses for happiness. Great with Caste System.
- Prophets: Prophets are used to bulb early Priesthood for Monks, then for the Altar. Order and Empyrean are the better religions for this strategy. Once you have an advanced Altar, you can train Savants/Disciple of Leaves to upgrade to Mage/Ranger as well. Prophets can also be used to bulb Religious Law.
- Merchants: Run Merchants (and Priests initially) at your capital under God-King. Settle Merchants/Prophets at your capital for the multiplier, later build the Bazaar of Mammon. For military, get the Guild of the Nine and use all the generated to recruit merceraries. Or simply build warriors/scouts and upgrade them to save on production.
The biggest benefit of Corlindale is access to archmage spells without having to research arcane techs.
As of 0.34, units with 0
are no longer targeted by marksman units (Assassins, Shadows, etc). Which is a complete reversal of fortunes for Corlindale. He now makes a great front line archmage, since Assassins won't target him! It's still almost impossible to level him past lvl 10 though.
Corlindale starts with Mind I, Earth I, and Spirit I. Which makes specializing in those spheres natural for him. But since he's no longer vulnerable to assassination, you no longer have to restrict yourself to buffing spells. Anything goes with Corlindale now.
Using only palace mana, he can cast Trust and Vitalize. Those 2 spells are very powerful for peacemongers. Or twincast Water Elementals if you want a more combative Corlindale.
However, Corlindale's true potential is unlocked with the Resurrection spell (Life III). There are many nifty tricks with Corlindale using Resurrection:
Early MonksAs of 0.34, units with 0
are no longer targeted by marksman units (Assassins, Shadows, etc). Which is a complete reversal of fortunes for Corlindale. He now makes a great front line archmage, since Assassins won't target him! It's still almost impossible to level him past lvl 10 though.Corlindale starts with Mind I, Earth I, and Spirit I. Which makes specializing in those spheres natural for him. But since he's no longer vulnerable to assassination, you no longer have to restrict yourself to buffing spells. Anything goes with Corlindale now.
Using only palace mana, he can cast Trust and Vitalize. Those 2 spells are very powerful for peacemongers. Or twincast Water Elementals if you want a more combative Corlindale.
However, Corlindale's true potential is unlocked with the Resurrection spell (Life III). There are many nifty tricks with Corlindale using Resurrection:
- Cast Peace over and over. (needs to be verified for 0.40)
- Build Corlindale with Spirit Guide, then get him killed so his xp transfer over. Corlindale must be killed in combat for this to work and this only works the first time he dies.
- Build the Shrine of the Champion.
- Corlindale is always resurrected at lvl 1, which means you can change his magic spheres each time.
- Druids or FoL/RoK/Order High Priests upgraded from Devouts. High Priests require incense, except RoK which requires gems, and Druids require neutral alignment.
- Religious heroes: Sphener, Yvain, Hemah, Gibbon Goetia. Yvain and Sphener start with Life I so don't need Life mana. Hemah and Gibbon require Life mana to get Resurrection.
- Archmages. This is the longest and least efficient method, and requires reagents.
After much experimentation with early Monks, this is what I've been able to come up with. If anybody has found a better way to get early Monks, please lemme know
The main obstacle is the relative high
cost of Monks early in the game.
Altar + Monks
This strat only works for Einion Logos, since it needs Philosophical. Ethne can get early Monks too, but minus the Altar.
Priesthood is bulbed with a Great Prophet. You can either build Altar I first, then bulb. Or you can bulb first, then start on the Altar. Depends how early you want Monks. A realistic goal is Priesthood by turn 100-120. Monks have no building requirement so they can be built in any city, but your capital under God-King should be your main city to train Monks at this point.
It's a pretty short research path for a T3 unit, but you still need some early commerce/production techs or else your economy will suffer. This strat is favoured if you start with Incense for the commerce and happiness. For production, Mining-->Archery is a good option.
I'd strongly suggest getting Catapults too.
Ignore religion until after Priesthood.
For the purposes of xp bonuses, Altar V is sufficient. Once you get around to acquiring a religion, other disciple units are built at the Altar too.
Any religion is fine to follow up with, except CoE and Empyrean. Empyrean is expensive, plus the main perk of Empyrean are Radiant Guard and Ratha. CoE has no priest. AV is ok, but it'll stop your Altar progress.
Other Specific StrategiesThe main obstacle is the relative high
cost of Monks early in the game.Altar + Monks
This strat only works for Einion Logos, since it needs Philosophical. Ethne can get early Monks too, but minus the Altar.
Code:
Agriculture ----
\
\
--------Education --------
/ \
/ \
Ancient Chants - - [COLOR="red"]Priesthood[/COLOR]
\ /
\ /
- Mysticism - Philosophy -Priesthood is bulbed with a Great Prophet. You can either build Altar I first, then bulb. Or you can bulb first, then start on the Altar. Depends how early you want Monks. A realistic goal is Priesthood by turn 100-120. Monks have no building requirement so they can be built in any city, but your capital under God-King should be your main city to train Monks at this point.
It's a pretty short research path for a T3 unit, but you still need some early commerce/production techs or else your economy will suffer. This strat is favoured if you start with Incense for the commerce and happiness. For production, Mining-->Archery is a good option.
I'd strongly suggest getting Catapults too.
Ignore religion until after Priesthood.
For the purposes of xp bonuses, Altar V is sufficient. Once you get around to acquiring a religion, other disciple units are built at the Altar too.
Any religion is fine to follow up with, except CoE and Empyrean. Empyrean is expensive, plus the main perk of Empyrean are Radiant Guard and Ratha. CoE has no priest. AV is ok, but it'll stop your Altar progress.
Spoiler Rush to Empyrean/CoE :
